What does Collate mean in printing?
Among the most common options you may come across is a request to "collate" the printed pages of a project. An extremely useful feature on printers that can be done with a click of a button, but what does collate mean or accomplish?
In printers, collate means to collect and arrange multiple pages of a printed document in the correct order before printing multiple copies. Take for example. You are printing 10 copies of a 7-page document, collating ensures that each of the 10 copies is printed in the correct order of pages 1-7, rather than all page 1s being printed first.
So, what instances could collate become beneficial to utilize?
- Some examples would include:
Each Printer machine will be different in how it can use collate or what steps you must take, for that reason you can check with your managed print services partner or review the instruction manual to be informed of how your machine may work
When it comes to large volumes of printing with structured documentation, collating can save you hours, maybe even days of work at the push of a button or selection of an option.